Storm Force – Field Guide to the Big Island of Hawaii

The Storm Thriller series is a way for me to include some locations outside of Florida, where the Mac Travis Adventures series takes place. The first book, Storm Rising, is set in London and the British Virgin Islands. Storm Force starts in Chicago and moves to Hawaii. We’ve got a bicycle trip to Italy coming up this fall, so look for the next Storm book to have some locations from Rome and Sicily.

Storm Force is mainly set on the Big Island in Hawaii. Many of the locations used are from my own explorations of the island. Here’s a quick guide and map:

Kona – The main tourist city on the island’s west coast. A few years ago we did a diving trip with Kona Diving Company. Very different from the Florida Keys, where we typically dive. The water is cleared and the formations different. We did several dives through lava tubes and arches. We also paddled with the Waikoloa Canoe Club. Last September we were back for the Queen Liliuokalani Canoe Race.

Kealakekua Bay – Also known as Cook’s Bay, this great snorkeling spot is down the coast from Kona. This is where the Discovery first made landfall in Hawaii. There is a statue of Captain Cook toward the northern end of the bay.

Kaumana Caves – Located outside of Hilo, this county park contains a great lava tube. We found this to be more interesting and way less crowded than the more famous Thurston Tube in Volcano National Park

Kalapana – The city was over run by lava in the 90s and the area is still active. This is also the site of the famous black sand beach wiped out in the same lava flow, but now regenerating. A sign posted on the trail to the beach claiming the area to be protected by war crime pillaging started my research into the indigenous claims for sovereignty.

Uncle Robert’s Market and Awa Bar – The only way to describe this is like going to a Grateful Dead concert without the Dead. Beyond eclectic, the market has great music, food, and crafts and is only open on Wednesday nights.